JEE Advanced 2026 eligibility criteria have been released by IIT Roorkee, outlining five mandatory conditions that candidates must meet to appear for the examination. The eligibility norms apply to Indian nationals as well as OCI and PIO candidates under specified conditions. As per the update issued on 29 December 2025, candidates are advised to carefully review all eligibility conditions before proceeding with the registration process, as failure to meet even one criterion will result in disqualification.
JEE Advanced 2026 Eligibility Based on JEE Main Performance
Performance in JEE Main 2026 forms the primary eligibility requirement for appearing in JEE Advanced. Only candidates ranked among the top two lakh fifty thousand successful candidates in the B.E. or B.Tech paper of JEE Main 2026 will be shortlisted. The category-wise distribution follows the prescribed reservation norms, including provisions for GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, and PwD candidates. Within each category, a horizontal reservation of five percent is applicable for PwD candidates. The total number of shortlisted candidates may marginally exceed the stated limit in case of tied scores. OCI and PIO candidates are considered only under the OPEN category, except for OPEN-PwD, and are not eligible for category-based reservations.
JEE Advanced 2026 Age Limit Criteria
Candidates applying for JEE Advanced 2026 must meet the prescribed age requirements. Applicants should have been born on or after 01 October 2001. A relaxation of five years is applicable for candidates belonging to SC, ST, and PwD categories, who must have been born on or after 01 October 1996. Age eligibility will be verified strictly during the admission process.
JEE Advanced 2026 Attempt Limit Conditions
The number of attempts allowed for JEE Advanced is limited. A candidate can attempt the examination a maximum of two times in two consecutive years. Candidates who have already exhausted the permissible attempts in earlier years will not be eligible to apply for JEE Advanced 2026, irrespective of their academic performance.
Class XII Appearance Requirement for JEE Advanced 2026
To be eligible, candidates must have appeared for the Class Twelve or equivalent examination for the first time in 2025 or 2026, with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as compulsory subjects. Candidates who appeared for the Class Twelve examination in 2024 or earlier are generally not eligible. However, candidates whose Class Twelve results for the 2023–24 academic year were declared on or after 18 June 2024 may be considered eligible, subject to meeting all other conditions.
IIT Admission History Rules for JEE Advanced 2026
Candidates who have previously been admitted to any Indian Institute of Technology under an academic programme listed in the JoSAA 2025 Business Rules are not eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2026. However, candidates who were allotted IIT seats but did not report, withdrew before the final round, or had their admission cancelled before the last round of seat allotment remain eligible. Candidates admitted to IIT preparatory courses for the first time in 2025 are also permitted to appear. All candidates must satisfy all five eligibility criteria simultaneously to be considered eligible for JEE Advanced 2026.
